Catherine closed her mouth, watching as Gil walked away from her. Glancing at her watch, she pulled out her cell phone, flipping it open and pressing one. She lifted the phone to her ear and patiently waited for the line to be answered.

“Mom?” She remained quiet, listening to the obligatory lecture. Shaking her head, she took the opportunity to interrupt. “No, I’m not calling about work. I just need to talk to Gil. Can you stay a little longer?” She rolled her eyes, pulling the phone slightly away from her ear. “No… it’s nothing like that. Just… can you stay? I won’t be long…. No. Mom you don’t need to go to the guest room, just go back to sleep…” She remained silent again, listening to the never-ending lecture. “I’m really not going to be that long, I’m just going to… Fine. I’ll talk to you in the morning.” She pressed end, sliding the phone back into the clip on her waistband and heading down the hall towards Gil’s office. She stopped short, seeing the closed door in front of her. Glancing in the window, the slight light from the desk indicated the owner’s presence. She knocked as she pushed the door, frowning when it didn’t open.

“Gil?”

She knocked at the door again.

“Gil, open up…” She trailed off as her phone rang. Picking up the phone, she frowned as she looked at the caller id. “Gil?”

“What do you want, Catherine?”

“Open the door. We need to talk.”

“About a case?”

“You know what we need to talk about.”

“I really don’t have time for this right now.”

For the second time in less than an hour, Catherine had to force her mouth closed as a result of Gil’s actions. She stared at the phone, still shocked to hear the dial tone that greeted her after Gil’s statement. Closing the phone, she walked the short distance to her office. She quickly gathered her personal items, shut her door and headed out of the building. Scanning the parking lot, she found his Denali towards the back. After placing her purse in her car, she moved to the driver’s side of Gil’s vehicle, leaning against the door and sliding down until she was rested on the ground. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she rested her head on her knees and prepared to wait.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Gil glanced down at his watch again. Sighing at the time, he once again picked up his pen before abruptly setting it back on the desk. Leaning back in his chair, he stared at the phone, willing it to ring. He ran his hand through his hair, before pushing out of the chair. Locking the office behind him, he walked to the break room, seeing Greg and Sara sitting at the table.

“I’m gonna take off for a little bit, grab some supper. Page me if you need anything.” He quickly walked out of the room, not giving either of them a chance to stop him. Walking out of the building, he slowly crossed the parking lot towards his car. He pulled out his phone, opening it, his finger hovering over her speed dial button. Sighing, he closed the phone, sliding it back in place. Three more steps and he reached the car. Glancing at the tires, he made his way around the back of the Denali, stopping short as he turned to the drivers side.

“Catherine?”

Not getting a response, he closed the distance between them, crouching down next to her.

“Catherine?” He asked once again, his hand reaching out to her, brushing his hands over her clasped fingers.

She raised her head, sliding her hands out from under his and brushing her hair out of her face. “Gil.”

“What are you doing?”

“Waiting for you.”

“How long have you been out here?” He asked, sliding to the ground next to her.

She looked to her wrist, sighing as she saw nothing but skin. “What time is it?”

“About three. Have you been out here since… earlier?”

“No case tonight?” She asked, dodging his question.

“Nothing but paperwork.”

“I’ve really screwed things up.”

He sighed, resting his head against the side of the car. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I tried to…”

“Before that. Why didn’t you say something earlier? You had plenty of opportunity.”

“I didn’t know… I didn’t know he was going to be a suspect. I was one of a few hundred people in that club. How was I to know that it would make any difference.”

“But…”

“I was scared, alright. Is that what you want to hear?”

He turned his head her direction, raising his hand to brush his fingers over her cheek. “So what actually happened?”

“I told you.”

“Details.”

“He didn’t hit me. I…it just didn’t feel right. I was trying to leave anyway, then he wanted to walk me out to my car. Next thing I know we were… well… you don’t really want all the details do you?” She shifted her eyes to the side seeing the slight shake of his head. “I broke it off, told him I needed to get home. He didn’t exactly like that idea.”

“So he did hit you.”

“No. He held the door closed. I tried to open it, get away from him, but I couldn’t. Then suddenly he moved his hand. The door opened and hit me. He left shortly after that.”

“Cath…”

“I left and went home. You know what happened after that.”

“I was scared too.” He whispered, turning to look at her. “She looked like you.”

“Who?”

“The first victim. You uncovered her face and then I saw you and then your cheek. You didn’t want to talk about it and that scared me. The first thing that came to my mind was Eddie. You used to tell me the same thing years ago. I didn’t want to watch you go through that again.”

“Gil…”

“Let me finish.” He interrupted, finally willing to talk to her about everything. “That scared me. Just the thought that you could be involved in another relationship like that. Then you walked into that interrogation room. The smug look on his face, his words. It was Eddie again. You could have been killed Catherine. Don’t you realize that?”

“Of course I realize that! Why do you think I was so scared? Once I figured out that Adam… well I tried to tell you, but you walked away. I wanted to… I wanted to talk to you about it, but I didn’t know how.” She pushed away from the Denali, shifting to the side so she could watch him. “So…?”

He cleared his throat, watching her shift nervously in front of him. “I’m sorry I hung up on you earlier.”

“That’s alright. You told me you needed some time, I should have respected your wishes.”

“Still…” He stretched his legs out, stifling a groan. “If we’re going to keep this conversation going, can we at least stand… maybe sit inside the car.”

Catherine nodded, slowly standing and offering a hand to Gil. Once he grasped her hand, she leaned back, helping pull him up from his sitting position on the ground. She slowly righted herself, making sure the both of them were balanced before releasing his hand.

“Thanks.”

She nodded, taking a step away before feeling his hand on her shoulder. Turning, she looked questioningly towards him.

“I’m still scared.”

“So am I.” She confessed.

He stepped forward, letting his arms wrap around her slim frame, pulling her into his grasp. “I can’t keep doing this.”

Catherine raised her head from his chest, watching the sadness take over his face. “What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know.” He pulled her tighter against himself, leaning back against the Denali. “I wish I did know.” He felt her relax against him and he closed his eyes, resting his chin on top of her head. “How do we fix this?”

“We’re talking. At least that’s progress.”

“We should make this a habit.”

“The fighting?” She asked, looking up with a grin on her face.

“The talking. I miss you being around making me talk about my feelings. Or just making me talk in general. The others… they don’t do that. They don’t challenge me.”

“I challenge you?”

“Always. You’re the one who tells me when I’m hiding from everyone. You’re the one who reminds me to ask why. You’re the one who makes me feel.”

“Gil…” Catherine started, not knowing how to continue.

“I miss this Catherine. I told you that.”

She nodded, remembering the conversation. “I think what I remember the most is the mention of something else you missed. You kind of shocked me there.” She watched the grin start to appear on his face. “So… how are we?”

“Better. Just… don’t hide things from me. There’s nothing you can tell me that will…”

“Okay.” Catherine interrupted.

Reluctantly, he let his hands drop back to his sides. “Do you want to go out for a drink?”

“Aren’t you on the clock?”

“Want to grab a coffee… for me? Maybe some juice for you?”

Catherine smiled. “Gil?” She asked, waiting for his full attention. “I’ve missed this too.”

~finis~